Clap arrester



w. F. ZIMMERMANN CLAP ARRESTER Filed Fb. a, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY fiA/lz 7? Z'JZM,

ATTORNEY Aug. 17, 1937.

W. F. ZIMMERMANN CLAP ARRESTER Filed Feb. 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 9. W BY ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNETED STATES tests;

CLAP ARRESTER William F. Zimmermann, Maplewood, N. J., as-

signor to Gould & Eberhardt, Newark, N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 8, 1936, Serial No. 62,979

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shaping machines and particularly to that part of the shaping machine known as the clapper box.

The clapper box of a shaper, supports the cutting tool at the forward end of the ram, and is usually made up of a plurality of relatively movable elements, one of which is hinged along its upper edge. The hinged member directly or indirectly supports the tool and is arranged in 10 such manner that under normal conditions of operation the weight of the tool and tool post normally maintains the hinged member in a closed position, that is with its rear face abutting the front end of the shaper ram. As the ram moves forward on its cutting stroke and the tool engages the work, the parts are held still more 'firmly together.

The hinged feature of the clapper box functions at the end of the forward cutting stroke and during the return stroke of the ram, to permit the tool toelevate slightly as the tool was drawn back over the'cut just made. This swinging or lagging action of the tool is essential in machines of this character in order that the cutting point of the tool does not score the work or be chipped off by being forcibly dragged over the i work.

With the advent of the newer steels and alloys, came faster speeds and cutting operations. The progress in that direction has been rapid and far reaching, so much so that machine design and machining methods of only a few years back are now obsolete. Shapers once were but tool room machines, they must 'now be production 3; machines out in the general shop, and what was safe and good practice in shaper design only a short while ago, is dangerous or impossible now with the higher speeds of modern practice.

Heretofore, the conventional shapers had ram. 40 speeds up to 100 strokes a minute, and in some cases, 120 strokes a minute, and the clapper boxes performed their intended functions satisfactorily. V

The todays production or manufacturing shap- 45 ers must run at a speed giving 200 or more strokes a minute which is approximately 100% increaseover the machine of yesterday. At suchspeeds of 3 or more strokes .a second, the clapper boxes flapped excessively and did not return to their normal w position of rest in time for the taking of the next stroke.

A primary object of the present invention is to eliminate excessive and undue flapping of the 55 clapper box of shapingmachines with the end in view of rendering such machineseminently suitable and capable of performing normal or high speed operations. I

Another object of the invention is to take the excess flap out of clapper boxes in a manner not 5 interfering or hindering the manual swinging of the tool clear of the work piece whenever necessary as in cases when the machine is set up for side shaping. In this type of planing'operation, the tool is fed vertically downwardly a. given 10 amount before each cut is started. At the end of each stroke the operator grasps the tool post and manually lifts it up until it clears'the top of the piece so that the tool does not drag along the side of the work on its return stroke. This is not an unusual operation fora shaper, and the present invention is so constituted that such operations may be performed with the ease and rapidity as was done heretofore. I

A further aim of this invention is to reduce the 20 flapping of clapper boxes in a manner not adding appreciably to the cost of the machine nor in any way interfering with the action of the several movable parts of the ram head or with any auxil- V iary mechanism or special tools that may be 25 mounted thereon from time to time. 1

In'realizing the objects of the invention it is 1 proposed to core out the under side of both members of the hinged clapper box so as to ac'commodate a small latch element. The latch ele 30 ment substantially fills the recess provided inthe two hinged members and does not therefore take up any valuable space or interfere with the tool mounting or position in'whi'ch it maybe desired to adjust the tool head. The latch member is so designed that it normallyfunction s to limit the extent of free swing-of the clapper and insures that it is on its seat at the beginning of each cutting stroke. At times when it is desired to swing the tool manually the latch mem- 40 ber is quickly rendered ineffective as an arrester, but not to the extent of offering any physical interference with any other normal function of the machine. I

Other objects'and advantages will be in part indicated in the following description and in part rendered apparent therefrom in connection with the annexed drawings.

To enable others skilled in. the art so fully to apprehend the underlying features hereof that they may embody the same inthe various ways contemplated by this invention, drawings depict- I ing is preferred typical construction havebeen annexed as a partof this disclosure and; in such 2 and'3 are enlarged front and side views of the.

drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which:-

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view of a shaping machine embodying the present invention. Figs.

tool head and forward portion of the ram. Fig. 4

is a view of a shaping machine set up for side planing.

drawings, the shaping machine there illustrated comprises essentially a base [0, a standard ll rising therefrom, a ram l2 reciprocably mounted in ways at the top portion thereof, and a table I3 which is vertically and laterally adjustable upon the greater is the stroke of reciprocation of the ram and conversely. The large gear wheel ll is driven from an initial power shaft I8 through 'a primary speed change gear set A and 'a secondary speed change ;gear set B, the primary set A, affording 4 relatively fine changes in speed, and the secondary set B afforfding 2 course changes, making a total of 8 different speeds to the ram.

Speed changelevers l9 and 20 are provided for selectively effecting the speed changes, while lever 2| is provided for actuating a main power clutch 22. Disengagement of the clutch 22, stops all movements in the machine.

The work table.l3 is laterally movable upon a vertically adjustable saddle member 23, by hand or power. The power movement may be effected from either. of two sources, to .wit, from the initial part of the ram, drive through the quick traverse mechanism indicated generally by the numeral 24, or through the feed mechanism 25 operated intermittently'and in synchronism with the revolutions of the bullgear l1. 7 Both of the table drives 24 and 25 have a shaft 26in common which: transmits the movements through a reverser 21 to the table .cross 7 feed shaft 28. The lever '29 controls the direction of table movement and the lever 29a selects the rate, that is, the quick traverse movement or the intermittent feed movement.

The toolT is held in a:tool post t and is adjustable therein in the usual manner. The tool post t,,in turn, is'mounted in a clapper block 30 which is hinged along its upper edge to its'complementalmember 3|. "The member 3| is a bearing member andis pivoted at 32 to an ad'- justable slide 33 and normally'clamped in ,place by a clamp screw 33a. The slide 33 is mounted for adjustment radially of a, revolvable but nor-.

mally stationary head 34 fitted to the forward end of the ram 12. By adjusting the relative positionsof the head v3 l on the ram l2, the slide upon the head, the bearing block upon the slide,

and the tool in the tool post, the tool may be given an infinite number of positions; V Assuming that the parts are positionedas illustrated in Fig. 1,"the.normalfcycle of operation is as follows: The .operator mounts a workpiece Wf uponthe table l3, sets the tool T. for the proper out, engages the power feed and starts thema Referringmoreparticularly'to Fig. l of the j always is seated ;pria'te for the purpose;

chine. The ram is thereby propelled forward and the tool removes a section of the workpiece. During the forward movement of the ram the table and work are held stationary, but on the return movement of the ram and before the next stroke is started the table and workpiece are indexed laterally and when the next stroke starts the tool engages and removesa new section of the workpiece. This cycle is repeated again and again untilthe surface of the workpiece is planed off tothe dimensions required.

Because of the hinged mounting of the tool post and block 30, these parts are permitted .to

' swing forward about the. pivot 36 on the return stroke, whereby the tool point may ride lightly over the. work upon its rearward movement. Were the tool not so mounted, its cutting edge would quickly be knocked off on the return stroke and the surface of the workpiece badly scored.

Heretofore, the speeds of the tool room shapers were not fast enough to create any difficulty in the operation of the clapper box. However, the

newer steels and alloys revolutionized machine manufacture and today shaping machines must operate in the range of 200 strokes per minute.

.At a speed of faster than threestrokes a sec-.

rendering a clapper box device capable of high speed operation. Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates a preferred means and method of: accom-' plishing that end'which comprises a latch momber 31 located at the under side of the block 30 'and'bearing block 3 I. Oneend 38 of the latch extends up and locks'behind the bearing block while the other end' 39 extends forward and up,

into a recess 40 formed in the hinged block 30.

The rear wall 4| of the recess 40 projects downwardly and forms an abutment wall spaced from the upright portion 39 of the'latch. This spaced relation allows a' limited swinging'movement of .clapper30 sufficientto accomplish its intended "functions, and at the same time not allowing the clapper to be flung violently into space'on the return stroke of the ram.

At high speeds, a clapper box so fitted merely clicks at the end of each stroke, and the tool before the next working stroke starts. 1 V

Sometimes it is necessary forf an operator to inspect the cuttingpoint of the tool, which is accomplished by swinging the clapper about its pivot until the operator has a clear view of the tool point. The present invention is soarranged as not to render such inspection impossible, and

42 whichsprojects slightly forward to a position where it may be actuated The upper surface of the finger tip portion is inclined in a. direction automatically facilitating the closing of the Preferably the latch 31 is made of spring steel; but it is apparent thatyonce its functions have beenperceived, it may be a pivoted rigidele-l, design "appro ment: or i t may assume any other 7 A particular advantageof a spring latch is its.

utter simplicity in formation and ease in adaptation to a clapper box. 'I'he location of the latch under the clapper utilizes otherwise wasted space and furthermore is at the point whereitimay exercise greatest mechanical advantage over the inertia of the swinging parts.

Figure 4 of the drawings illustrates a set-up for a tooling operation commonly known as side shaping, that is, an operation on the side of the workpiece. In the performance of that kind of an operation, the table cross feed is cut out and the table otherwise clamped-against lateral shift. A side cutting tool is mounted in the tool post and the shaper ram moves to and fro asbefore, but instead of the work feeding across the path of movement of the tool, there is a relative movement effected between the work and the tool vertically in the path of movement of the tool. In a conventional shaper such vertical movements may be effected in two ways, one way being by operating a hand screw 43 which propels the head 33 and all parts carried thereby and another way being by placing a hand crank 44 on the shaft 45 and operating same to elevate the table. Normally this relative feed movement between the tool and the work is effected before the start of each working stroke so that the tool on its forward movement engages a new section of the workpiece. Figure 4 illustrates a side shaping operation in which the tool point is well below the upper surface of the workpiece and in such position the swinging feature of the clapper box is ineffective automatically to prevent breaking of the tool point or scoring of the side of the workpiece. In the performance of such operations it is customary, therefore, for the operator to grasp the tool post t and swing the tool upwardly and out of the way of the work on the return stroke of the ram, and let it down again into its normal operating position prior to the beginning of the next forward stroke. In performing shaping operations of this character the ram speed is, of course, considerably less than two hundred strokes per minute so that the operator can manually control the movement of the tool.

The clap arresting mechanism herein disclosed does not interfere with or prevent such manual control of the tool post for the reason that a simple and effective means has been provided for rendering the latch mechanism ineffective as long as desired. To accomplish that purpose a headed screw 46 is threaded into the under side of the bearing block 3! directly'behind the latch element 3'! and in line with an aperture 41 formed in the latch element. Thus, by inserting a screw driver or other suitable tool through the opening 41 the screw 46 may be backed out a distance suflicient to engage the under side of the latch 31.

Further backing out of this screw retracts the portion 39 of the latch from the recess 46 in the clapper block whereupon the latter may freely swing its full distance. In this manner the clap arresting means may be quickly rendered ineffective without removing any elements of the machine, and when so rendered inefiective does not interfere with the normal functioning of the clapper box or any of the parts associated or carried therewith. To restore the latch mechanism to the position wherein it checks the movement of the clapper box, the screw means 4'! is returned to its ineffective position, and the machine is again ready for high speed shaping operations.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, lay-applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various utilizations by retaining one or more of the features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics 'of either the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should be,and are intended to be, comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims: 1 Having thus revealed this invention, I claim as new and desire to secure the following combinations and elements, or equivalents thereof, by Letters Patent of the United States:

1; "A clapper box for machine tools in which the inertia of the parts normally induces excessive swing of the clapper member, combining a bearing plate and a tool supporting member pivoted thereto and normally free to swing away from the bearing plate, one of said members having a recess formed therein at a point removed from said pivot; a non-extensible latch member carried by the other one of said members adapted to project into the said recess whereby said pivoted member is constrained against unlimited movement relative to said bearing plate; and manually operable means for rendering said latch member selectively effective and ineffective to prevent movement of said tool supporting member.

2. A clapper box for machine tools combining a bearing plate and a tool supporting member pivoted thereto and normally free to swing from a position wherein it is supported by the bearing plate to a position approximately 90 degrees therefrom, each of said members having a recess formed therein at a point removed from said pivot, a latch member supported in the recess in one of said members and adapted normally to project into the recess in the other of said members whereby said pivoted member is constrained against unlimited movement; manually operable means for withdrawing said latch member from said last mentioned recess thereby to permit full movement of said tool supporting member; and manually operable means for maintaining said latch member in a position ineffective to prevent movement of said tool supporting member.

3. A clapper box for a high speed shaping machine in which the speed of reciprocation of the shaper ram induces excessive flutter and clap of the box, comprising a bearing plate member, a clapper member pivoted at one of its ends to said plate and normally adapted to seat against said bearing plate, a tool holding member mounted upon said clapper member between said pivot and the free end of the clapper member, means normally operative to limit the extent of free movement of the clapper member about its pivot, including an element carried by the said bearing plate member having a lost motion connection with the said clapper member, said lost motion connection permitting a limited free movement of said clapper member relative to said plate member and positively restraining movement of said clapper member beyond said limited amount.

4. A clapper box for high speed shaping machine in which the speed of reciprocation of the shaper ram induces excessive flutter and clap of the box, comprising a bearing plate member; a clapper member pivoted at one of its ends to said plate and normally adapted to seat against said bearing plate; means normally operative to limit the movement of the clapper memberabout its pivot during the reciprocations of the ram comprising a spring latch element secured to one of said members and having a lost motion connecment between said members of a limited amount; I and means for renderingr said latch member inefiective to restrain movement ,of said clapper 4 V r v e tion with the other of said members, said lostmotion connection permitting relative free movemember. 7 7 l 7 j V V 5. A clapper boxr'for a high speed shaping ma:

7 chine in which the speed of reciprocation'ofithe shaper ram induces excessive flutter and clap of the box, comprising a'bearing plate member, a

' clapper member pivoted at one of its ends to said plate and normally adapted to seat'against said bearing plate and to swing freely away therefrom 'at'the end of the forward stroke'of the shaper ram, a tool holding member mounted upon said clappermember between said pivot and the free end of the clapper member, guide means restrain- 7 ing lateral movement of the clapper member when the latteris seated upon the bearing plate, and means normally operative to limit the movement of the clapper member about its pivot in- 'cluding an element securedin fixed relation to one of saidmembers and having a lost motion connection with the other of said members, said clapper block member pivotally mounted at one end'to said bearing block and normally free to swing about said pivot, tool holding means car-' lost motion connection permitting relative free ried by said clapper block member between said 7 pivot'and the free end of the member, and inelastic meansspaced from the clapper block member an amount suflicient to permit the tool to clear the work and operative to engage the free endof said clapper block member to limit the free swing of said clapper member away from the said bearing block to a predetermined maximum.

WILLIAM F. ZIMMERMANN. 

